Community Engagement Core

Project Summary – Community Engagement Core Climate change is a health crisis that is simultaneously widening health disparities, exacerbating social vulnerability, and hindering society’s ability to deliver healthcare. Under the joint leadership of Dr. Ami Zota and Dr. Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne, the Community Engagement Core (CEC) of the Climate and Health: Action and Research for Transformational Change Center (CHART) seeks to respond to this growing crisis by advancing evidence-based solutions for climate health equity within New York City (NYC) and beyond by creating networks of emerging leaders who can drive change with their communities. We seek to engage community-based researchers, climate data scientists, and community changemakers to increase awareness of the public health impacts of climate change and the capacity for evidence-based action. As facts alone do not lead to change, we will prioritize principles of storytelling which combine emotions, biases, logic, and beliefs to enhance public communication. Our vision for the CEC leverages the infrastructure, resources, and networks of successful programs at Columbia University to ensure CHART is responsive and relevant to community needs. These programs include Agents of Change in Environmental Justice (AoC-EJ) and the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE). AoC-EJ seeks to cultivate more diverse, equitable, and inclusive leadership in environmental, climate, and health sciences by training scientists from systemically marginalized backgrounds in science communication. GCCHE seeks to ensure that all health professionals worldwide have the knowledge and skills to prevent, reduce, and respond to the health impacts of climate change. As part of the CEC, we will: 1) Integrate the NYC perspective of climate vulnerable community members into all activities of the CHART, 2) provide researchers and community changemakers with the editorial and technical skills to translate their climate and health research into compelling documentary films for a public audience, and 3) advance evidence-based solutions for climate health equity within New York City by training and advancing emerging community leaders through the Climate Health Equity Fellowship. The CEC will help incubate, communicate, and disseminate research and policy strategies that promote climate health equity at local, national, and international levels. Critically, the CEC will center the voices and needs of communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis as it trains emerging scientific and community leaders—ultimately promoting community-driven research to advance climate justice.